Remembering Mark Margolis: Best Hector Salamanca scenes in Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul

Mark Margolis died on Thursday in New York from an illness. He was 83 when he breathed his last. The actor is remembered for his breakout role in the Al Pacino starrer mob classic Scarface (1983) and went on to star in several films such as Pi (1995), Black Swan (2010), The Wrestler (2008) and more.

However, he made a huge mark with his role as Hector ‘Tio’ Salamanca in the critically acclaimed show Breaking Bad and its prequel series Better Call Saul. Here are the best scenes featuring his cold-blooded, barhop-bell-wielding character in the Vince Gilligan shows.

3 things you need to know: 

• Mark Margolis was a long-time collaborator with filmmaker Darren Aronofsky.
• He was born in Philadelphia in 1939.
• His most recent appearance was in Your Honor, where he played a mafia kingpin.

Hector Salamanca’s chilling moments in Breaking Bad universe

Salamanca schools the cousins 

In what was perhaps the most chilling scene in the series, in Season 3 Episode 7 of Breaking Bad, Hector Salamanca finds his nephews Marco and Leonel Salamanca running around and fighting over a toy. After Leonel wishes Marco dead, Hector actually tries to suffocate him by dunking his head in an ice cooler to prove a point. He asks as he’s suffocating Marco, “This is what you wanted. Your brother dead, right?”

This scene shows how the Cousins ended up forging such a strong bond and emerged as a lethal force in both Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad. 

Negotiation with Mike Erhmantraut 

In Season 2, Episode 6 of Better Call Saul, Mike Erhmantraut (Jonathan Banks) demands $50,000 for testifying in favour of Tuco Salamanca (Raymond Cruz). Hector refuses to offer him remuneration and says that his reward would be walking out alive. After they pull a gun on each other, Hector commends him and grants him his wish.

It was impressive to see Margolis hold his gaze and let his eyes do all the talking in the Mexican standoff like scene.

Killing Maximino Max Arciniega

In Season 4 Episode 8 of Breaking Bad, Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) and Maximino Max Arciniega (James Martinez) meet the Salamancas in order to build an alliance with them. However, Max is mercilessly killed by Hector during his pitch, which kicks off a long-running feud between Fring and the Salamancas.

Lalo gifts Hector his iconic bell

After being paralysed, Hector was left with limited mobility. However, his popular bell, which is shown throughout Breaking Bad, was gifted to him by Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton) at this moment.

Hector kills Gus Fring

The cycle of revenge comes to an end with Hector Salamanca sacrificing himself in order to take down Gustavo Fring. After trying to find Walter White (Bryan Cranston), Fring meets Hector and starts beckoning him. However, at the fateful moment, Hector signals for the bomb to go off, which kills both him and Fring in the process.

Mark Margolis left a substantial impact with his performances in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Hector Salamanca was a ruthless killer and nothing more. He had no grey area and to be able to pull off negative shade with such conviction was interesting to witness onscreen. His nerve-wracking performance raised the stakes in the shows, making Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul some of the most critically acclaimed shows ever.